Microplastics in bottled water

New study finds microplastic particles in popular bottled water brands, detects on average 10 larger-sized microplastic particles and over 300 smaller-sized, likely also plastic particles per liter; WHO to launch review of health risks

March 15, 2018 Greta Stieger

In an article published on March 15, 2018 by BBC News, editor David Shukman reported on a new study that tested various brands of bottled drinking water for the presence of microplastics. The study, entitled “Synthetic polymer contamination in bottled water,” was led by journalism organization Orb Media and conducted by Sherri Mason and other researchers at the State University of New York at Fredonia, U.S..

The researchers found signs of microplastic contamination in 93% of tested bottled waters (259 individual bottles of eleven brands). On average, tested waters contained around 10 larger microplastic particles (> 100 µm) per liter. The most common polymer spectroscopically identified in these particles was polypropylene (PP) which is often used for bottle caps. Smaller particles (6.5-100 µm) described as “probably plastics” (no spectroscopic confirmation) were found at an average level of 325 particles per liter. According to the authors, the observed microplastic contamination “is at least partially coming from the packaging and/or the bottling process itself.”

All of the tested bottled waters were packaged in plastic, except for one brand where water from both plastic and glass bottles was analyzed. “There was considerably less microplastic contamination within the water bottled in glass as compared to that packaged in plastic,” the study stated. The researchers thus concluded that “some of the microplastic contamination is likely coming from the water source, but a larger contribution might be originating from the packaging itself.”

In response to mounting evidence of microplastic contamination and consumer concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) will launch an assessment of the potential health risks of microplastics in drinking water.

UPDATE: An article reporting on this study was published on September 11, 2018, in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Chemistry. Another 2018 article co-authored by Mason, published on April 11, 2018 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, reported on the presence of microplastic particles and fibers in tap water, beer, and sea salt.

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